The present invention relates generally to the field of power distribution, and more particularly to maintenance of power distribution systems.
A significant number of work orders for maintenance may be generated due to voltage fluctuations caused by vegetation overgrowth. For example, more than half of all power outages may be weather related, and half of these outages may be attributed to vegetation contact with utility lines, poles, and others system components. When a tree branch touches an overhead conductor, there may be, among other things, a persistent flickering of lights or an outage. Customers in a given neighbourhood may contact the utility company to report the outage, and a crew may be sent out to localise and rectify these faults. However, during critical times, there may not be enough crews to perform field visits at each location, and customers may be without power for long periods of time while they wait for a utility crew to be dispatched for their outage. Additionally, it may be costly to provide maintenance for power distribution systems, and utilities may budget millions of dollars annually for vegetation maintenance in particular.